Hair drying apparatus



June 9, 1936. M A 2,043,721

HAIR DRYING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 'QJBY M. WAELU/OK ATTORNEYS June 9, 1936.

R. M. WARWICK HAIR DRYING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @0000008222.. V bi RUBY M. (mew/0K Patented June 9, .1936

PATENT OFFICE HAIR DRYING APPARATUS Ruby M. Warwick, San Francisco, Calif.

Application August 13, 1934, Serial No. 739,660

4 Claims.

This invention relates to hair drying apparatus.

The machine methods ordinarily practiced for the drying of women's hair necessitate the application of a warm drying medium to the hair throughout a rather long period of time, in the whole of which the person is compelled to assume and remain in a sitting posture and to tolerate many annoyances and inconveniences that have proved injurious to health and have impaired the nervous system. Such methods include the step of constantly. blowing a streamof warm air against the hair, and as the hair is more or less wet, the air which contacts it becomes saturated with moisture. This unpleasant moisture-laden air is generally spent in the neck and shoulder regions of the body and, as is customary, same is absorbed by towels which are placed about these parts.

It is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus the use of which will present none of the disadvantages of prior drying equipmentand methods, and means for constantly circulating the drying medium about the hair while the face, neck and shoulders are entirely sealed off from the drying chamber, and for dehydrating the medium during circulation thereof, thus protecting these parts, keeping them dry and not warm,

and enabling the period of time required for the drying of the hair to be greatly reduced.

It is a further object to provide a method of drying hair which willenable the person whose hair is being operated upon to assume and remain in a comfortable reclining position throughout the complete operation.

Certain of the novel structural features employed herein include simple and positively acting means for completely sealing the drying chamber from the face; a means for spacing the head from the inner walls of the chamber to allow uniform and an exceedingly effective distribution of the drying medium to the hair and a greater amount to reach the parts where the hair is thickest, such as at the back of the head, and properly diminishing amounts at other places; the provision of means for allowing the chamber to be readily adjusted vertically, and the provision of means for comfortably bracing the neck and for maintaining the intended relationship of the head to the walls of the drying chamber as the body rests. upon a day bed or other suitable article of furniture.

The invention finds expression in other desirable features and advantages, which are both structurally and functionally novel and which will obviously unfold themselves as the description advances and form the subject matter of the hereto appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the drier showing the manner of using same, parts being broken away and parts shown in section for clearness;

Figure 2 is a section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale of the chamber, illustrating the course of the drying medium and the manner of sealing off the chamber from the exterior parts of the body;

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3; p

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the chamber with a portion of the neck rest broken away.

In practice, a drying chamber I0 is employed. This is preferably of prolate semi-spheroidal form and essentially consists of an outer wall II and an inner wall l2, the latter spaced apart from the former to provide an aircirculating duct -A therebetween. Stay bolts or spacers I3 of respectively varying lengths which are situated at different points in the construction serve to space the walls a greater distance at some places than at others. This allows circulation of a lesser amount of air at the places where the hair is thin and proportionately greater amounts u where the hair is thickest.

The shell formed by the inner wall I2 is open at the front of the chamber and the edge l4 thereof terminates inwardly of the continuous return bend [5 of the shell formed by the outer wall H as best illustrated in Figure 3. This return bend functions as a deflector against which air leaving the duct between both walls impinges and is forced to enter the effective drying chamber formed by said inner wall. It follows therefrom that the front of the structure is entirely open so that the head can enter the effective drying chamber, after which the space between the drying chamber and the head where it is embraced by the chamber is sealed by the rubber or other suitable flexible sealing element |5a which tightly, yet comfortably, embraces the head from the base of the neck to the forehead and completely at both sides of the head, whereby to prevent loss of air from the chamber during the drying operation andprevent blasts of hot moist air from contacting the face. It will be observed that the front lower portion of the outer wall I I has secured thereto a stiff member l6 whose downwardly curved extremity f1 forms a seat or support for a somewhat similarly shaped cushioning extension l8 of the element I511. It is by means of the combination of these parts in the relationship stated that a rest is provided to support the neck when the body'is in a reclining position illustrated as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Air is admitted to the duct A through a pipe is which extends from the discharge side of a dehydrator and discharged back to the dehydrator through a pipe 2|, the return being to the blower or intake side of the dehydrator as shown in Figure 1. The intermediate sections of these pipes are formed of rubber or other well known material which can be easily flexed and extended to allow for vertical adjustment of the section 22 of the floor stand 23. The pipe 2| enters the eiIective drying space formed by the wall H! at the very crown portion of the drier in order that air may be scattered in all directions in the duct A so as to take the course illustrated by the arrows in Figure 3. This feature in combination with the forms and constructions of the co-operable walls II and i2 enables all of the inflowing air to contact the entire body of hair clear to the scalp, thereby greatly reducing the time required for the drying operation.

In order that additional comfort may be accorded the user, at the same time spacing the head from the inner wall i2, a perforated saddle 26 is employed. This is hung from within the eiTective-drying chamber, and it includes a curved transverse strap 25 and a forwardly and outwardly curved backstrap 26. On again referring to Figure 3, it will be appreciated that the position of this saddle relatively to the neck rest is such that the one functions with the other to give ease and comfort to the head and to relate the head to the inner wall ll so that the air is made to fiow in the direction of the arrows (Figure 3) as the air is returning to the intake side of the dehydrator.

The chamber formed as above set forth is mounted to swing in the yoke 21 at the upper end of the stand section 26. Its angular position can thus be changed to meet the convenience of the person whose hair is to be dried and the adjustment retained by the clamp screws 26a. In other words, it can be tilted about a horizontal axis to adapt itself to the inclination of the head.

Any suitable well known dehydrator can be used so long as it is provided at its intake side with a fan blower 20a that will suck the moistureladen air out of the drying chamber and blow it through the dehydrator, for return in a dry state to the drying chamber.

From the foregoing, it follows that the air is placed in continuous circulation in the system and as rapidly as it is saturated by contact with wet hair, it is relieved 0*. its moisture and returned to the drying chamber in a dry condition. 5 The frictional heat generated by the blower will aid in drying the hair, and by circulating the air as stated, the air will be neither too cool nor too warm, as the excess heat will be absorbed by the dehydrator. The blower of the dehydrator 10 can, of course, be driven by vany suitable electrically operated motor (not shown), the speed of which will be calculated to meet the requirements.

What is claimed is:

1. A hair drier comprising means having a drying chamber, open at one side; means for supporting the chamber means at an angle to enable the head to extend into the chamber while the body is reclining; means for supporting the head 20 in the chamber and including a neck rest supported from a wall of the chamber below the point of projection of the head into the chamber; means for sealing the chamber against the head; and means for admitting a drying medium 25 to and circulating same through the chamber for drying contact with the hair.

2. A hair drier comprising a, chamber through which a drying medium can flow, the chamber having an opening to enable the head to project 30 thereinto; and a saddle composed of a transverse perforated strap and a perforated back strap 'spaced apart from the inner walls of the chamber for co-action in supporting the head in a position to provide a space between same and 5 said inner walls for movement of the medium therethrough.

3. A hair drier comprising a drying chamber having an opening to receive the head; means for circulating air in the chamber through the hair of the head; and a plurality of perforated straps arranged in intersecting relation in the chamber and co-acting to support the head spaced from the wall of the chamber.

4. The combination with a hair drying chamber of the type for insertion of the head thereinto while the body is reclining, and means by which a drying medium can be respectively admitted to and discharged from the chamber; of a neck rest supported from a wall of the chamber 5Q below the point of insertion of the head into the chamber, and means for spacing the head from the inner walls of the chamber when the neck is engaged with said rest.

' 55 RUBY M. WARWICK. 

